Christmas,
2015
Season’s
greetings, Merry Christmas to all our friends and extended “Bondi Family”
2016! Already?
Seems like only a year ago we
were entering 2015! It’s always busy
here, so we try to keep our recap brief – but we do value getting in touch with
all our friends and learning about your busy lives as well!
Every
other year we host a wonderful group here, gathering for their Christmas
reunion from all over the country. They were with us last Christmas, helping us
bring in 2015. When they are with us, the place is jumping with their energy
and enthusiasm! Christmas weather conditions provided us with a perfect ice
surface on the bay – wide open, it was the location of an endless and roving
hockey tournament, from first light until dark.
One of the great advantages at Bondi is that you can simply step out of
the door and be on the ski trails, snowshoeing, or skating – no need to bundle
up and then climb into a car to get somewhere first. We had some international
guests too, enjoying a true Canadian Christmas season. Now, if we could find another family that
would like to get together here on those alternate years, it would be great!
Temperatures
dropped in early January. Really dropped.
It was a cold winter. February was the coldest on record in fact, and we
had 49 days when it was well below zero – far too often at 30 below. It is a dry cold, as they say, and
yes you can dress for it and get out there. Our guests did just that, enjoying
the ski trails and the evenings by the fire!
Brian and Dave did a lot of work on our ski trails – they are among the
best in the region.
January also brought a
pair of bald eagles to our bay, probably lured by the wolf-killed deer near
Farside cottage. It was a great year for
the snowmobilers, with all trails open.
February brought the winter carnivals, and the airing of Say Yes to the Dress, episode 13, A Little Bit Country,
featuring our own beautiful bride Megan (and Dave!) Macleans magazine featured Napster and his
artwork in the Feb. 22 on-line edition. It was our happy Media month! (you can
find both on-line!)
March
brought sadder moments. We said goodbye
to one of our very long time guests, Christian Jaekl. Then Carol fell, badly shattering
her wrist and setting about coping with a cast for nine weeks! It put a crimp into her activities, and rehab
continues.
In
April Brian underwent hip replacement surgery. While he had to skip about on
crutches for a few months, he is now back to speed, and glad to be rid of that
pain. He did in fact forget he had this
bionic hip, and set off all the airport alarms later in the year.
The
continuing cold meant that the ice was still solid well into April – the boys
took advantage to head out with golfcarts and play a round of golf (including
the water trap created by the ice away at the main dock). That ice left on April 27th, a
little late but not that unusual. The
tree swallows returned April 12 – a bit early for them. Barn swallows came back
May 1st. Both these species, once so numerous, are now in strong
decline, so we welcome ours with open arms and well built bird houses. We also
enjoyed having two pair of bluebirds with us again for the season.
With both Brian and Carol
skipping about with crutches and casts, the rest of the crew were scrambling
through the spring to get the resort ready for summer, the garden planted, and
the myriad of spring jobs done. There
are a lot of ‘unseen’ jobs that happen to ensure our guests have a wonderful
experience here. David and Megan were such a tremendous help, jumping right in
to do any job necessary. Our long time housekeeper Sue Baker was (as ever) a
life-saver, and we were lucky to have Mike Bechtel back for some short working
visits. We did plant a slightly smaller
garden but the growing season wasn’t the best in any event. Up and down weather
conditions through the Spring didn’t help the plants get started. There was a
bumper crop of sweet corn though!
For
Nancy, May was the cruelest month. On May 13 she had to put down Blizzard, her
beloved companion of 18 years, after he contracted a lymphatic infection that
could not be turned around. Just six
days later, Bailey, the grand old gray in the stable, suffered a gut torsion,
and didn’t wait for the vet. The barn still feels hollow without those two
grand lads within. She still has Abby,
and the pony Squeegee and a few boarders, plus an ever changing flock of
chickens. And Taffy, her beloved shadow.
 |
| David and Megan escorting our Marathon Swimmers |
Summer
was busy. That pretty much says it all.
We had a visit in July from the
S.S. Bigwin, moored at our dock while guests embarked for an 80th
birthday cruise for Norman Williams. This was truly a gala affair, with a
rented tent and catered dinner, involving virtually all of the Williams and
Hadden families gathered together. That
celebration was shortly followed by a sad farewell to Evelyn Hadden, the
matriarch of the Williams’ Clan, and a beloved guest who has anchored our
summers here for the past 53 years.
We added a very popular
‘kid-sized paddleboat’ to our marina this year, to join the SUPs, canoes,
kayaks, etc. Trends come and go – right
now it seems to be SUPs, nobody seems to remember how to use windsurfers
anymore... next year it
will be something else, no
doubt. We didn’t race Clams this summer, but that
event will return in 2016 – hopefully with bagpipers to celebrate the Gathering
of the Clams!
We
lost our cat, Napster, to cancer on July 4th,, aged 17 ½. During his
art career, he raised over $12K for various charities. Truly a remarkable feat
and an enormous legacy for a little ginger tabby cat. Unusually, we are still
‘without cat’ but hoping that will change.
Nancy
is the Deputy Mayor for the Township of Lake of Bays this term, as well as
Chair of the Heritage committee. This
gets her into some curious situations. In July, she was the tour guide for a
group of 21 elders from the First Nations of Chippewa at Rama, on the S.S.
Bigwin, sailing down the Lake to Bigwin Island and pointing out where their
ancestors used to spend the summer. In
July she was part of the PanAmerican Games ‘team-makers’, officiating at the
equestrian games.
There
was no shortage of wildlife around. The deer population has decreased to a more
sustainable level, in part because they have eaten up most of the winter browse
in the woods, and in part because of the active wolf pack currently here. These
wolves provided a lot of fabulous Wolf Howl opportunities for our guests –
while Algonquin Park for the second year running was not able to offer their
fabulous program because their wolves weren’t accessible for the large groups,
our wolves happily howled for us from so close by we started to recognize their
individual voices. Brian, working on his
rehab, was biking near the Firehall when he heard them in the field, paused,
howled at them, and was answered by nine of them trotting across the field
toward him to say hello. In August a
beaver moved into the bay, and began his timber operation right at the edge of
Lantern cottage’s deck – much to the entertainment of the guests within. He is back in the bay this autumn, clearing
out some of the waterfront, opening up the view, as they say. Four snapping turtles dug their nests at
Dave and Megan’s – these were swiftly protected by wire mesh and heavy rocks to
keep fox and raccoon at bay, and all nests hatched out successfully later in
the year.
The autumn colours have
always been a huge draw in this area, but of late it seems they have been
discovered by our new Canadians – Algonquin Park in the high colour season is
jam-packed, as is the Dorset Tower. It
truly is worth coming up to see the season, but we would suggest that you enjoy
our trails rather than beat your way through the traffic, at least on the
weekends. Our trees are every bit as colourful, and from the top of our
Lookout, you can see the Dorset Tower.
 |
| photo taken by Devin Crawley, from our Lookout, 5 a.m. in July. Welcome sunrise! |
As
always, there are renovations and improvements happening at Bondi. We have no
trouble keeping busy 12 months of the year!
Our industry is changing – more people are going to the private rental
cottages it seems. We are convinced that we still offer a better option,
though, with amenities and on-site management and a sense of belonging that
aren’t available through those unregulated rentals. We are very grateful to our returning guests
who seem to share that point of view! We
are seeing some of our neighbouring resorts calling it a day as it gets harder
and harder to comply with the regulations and costs that apply to resorts but
not to private renters. Once gone, those resorts will be gone forever, taking
with them not only wonderful family experiences but plenty of student summer
jobs.
This year it looks like we will be having a rare Almost-Green Christmas. We’ve seen this before – in fact, back in 1926 Grandfather Joseph went golfing on January 16, commenting “most unusual winter” There is snow currently on the ground, and more will come. Winter sports will happen – Hidden Valley is already open for skiing, our Frisbee golf course is fabulous this time of year, hiking cannot be equaled. Winter can happen fast, so we remain of good cheer. We like our changing seasons – in this era of Climate Instability, they seem a bit more changeable than ever!
We hope for
all of you a year full of peace and plenty, good health and happiness, from all
of the Tapleys’ at Bondi!
A Merry Christmas to you!
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